


Lust is a Thing With Fangs

by capitalnineteen, Tangerine_Catnip



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cat Elves, F/M, Interspecies Relationship(s), Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Scent Marking, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-08-27 20:59:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16709932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capitalnineteen/pseuds/capitalnineteen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tangerine_Catnip/pseuds/Tangerine_Catnip
Summary: Lup tries to sneak in one more day of laboratory work before her annual heat cycle kicks in. Barry is there. It goes about how you would expect.





	Lust is a Thing With Fangs

Lup was having a rough week.

She'd had a lot of rough weeks in the last twenty-five cycles, but at least this rough week was predictably shitty.

Her whole body felt like it was on fire, and for once evocation magic had nothing to do with it. She should be locked up in her room right now, claiming to have fallen to her seasonal bout of flu. For all that excuse fooled anyone at this point.

After a quarter century, Lup's shipmates had clued into the fact that she was always sick for same two weeks every year, but with a little deflection and backup from Taako, she'd managed to convince them not to look too deeply into it.

If she were back on two-sun, she could've prevented this from happening. Most cities with a substantial elf population had apothecaries selling suppression potions that would mitigate the effects of her yearly cycle. Had Lup known she was going to be away for a while, she would have brought a truck full, but since she signed up for a short reconnaissance mission, it hadn't even crossed her mind.

Now her home world was lodged somewhere in the hunger's bottomless stomach and any help it could give her with this massive pain in her ass, (or lack of a pain in her ass) was long gone.

Lup tried to focus on the bright side. There were worst fates than laying around in your room for two weeks, rubbing up against the furniture and rolling around on the floor, wallowing in how hopelessly horny you were.

The worst part wasn't the physical discomfort, but the lost time. Sure, it was only a few weeks, but on a seven-person team with the biggest job in the world to do, they always missed her.

Once or twice, friends hadn't been there when she got back. Leaving the lingering worry that had she been there to help, they might have survived to see the end of the cycle.

Maybe that was why Lup kept trying to fudge the margins. Like she was doing right now. She was right on the edge (or maybe right over it) but Barry needed her help in the lab today, and she promised she would be there. They were so, so, close to another breakthrough, and every second they had their hands on the light of creation was precious. If they hit another string of bad luck, it could be years before they found it again.

Lup was wearing a black, off-the-shoulder, long sleeve sweater and a knee length crimson skirt with a hole cut in the back for her tail and absolutely nothing underneath it. She tried a few different pairs of underwear before giving up. Anything she put on soaked through in minutes. She would have to hope that Barry didn't notice, or that she could make him think that she was going commando for fun. Which honestly, wasn't that much of a stretch.

Lup paused at the door to the lab. She stood up straight, wrapping herself in dignity and ignoring her heart pounding in her chest like a jackhammer. It would be fine. It was only Barry. He would be way too focused on his work to notice her trembling, or the fact she was flushed from the tips of her ears to her toes.

Lup licked her lips. She suddenly had the strangest feeling. Like part of her had come to a revelation about something and another was frantically trying to muffle it before it could be brought to her attention.

Barry…

Lup clenched her fists and shook her head. She couldn't just stand here all day.

She squared her shoulders and pushed open the doors, flouncing into the lab with a spring in her step. Her tail followed along behind her like a separate entity, standing up at attention with a slight curl near the tip.

"Morning B-man. Hope you haven't been having too much fun without me."

"Hey, Lup, wasn't sure if I'd see you today," Barry said without looking up from what he was doing. Instantly, he regretted the words. Merle's comment that Barry would likely have the lab to himself had been cut off when Taako entered the kitchen this morning. Barry probably shouldn't have mentioned anything. She had promised she would be there. "I'm glad you're here. I think we were right on that theory. A few more tests should prove it but, uh...hold on."

He moved a few books out of the way to find the chart he'd been working on. He held the paper out to her, looking down at the line of data he'd added so far.

"The first test looks pretty good and that only shows about twelve hours of, uh," Barry looked up at Lup and paused. He blinked and tried to remember what he was getting at. "Uh, twelve hours of exposure," he finished. "To the light." he added, as if she didn't know what they were testing.

She looked… alert. Extremely alert. Her tail was up like when they were in hostile territory. 'Okay, so try not to look like a threat', he told himself, as if she'd ever be threatened by him. 'More like a target' _,_  he decided.

There were rings of petri dishes and prepared slides arranged at careful distances around the light of creation, creating starburst lines out from it. Each line of samples was marked with a card in Lup's curvy handwriting denoting the amount of time each group would be exposed.

They'd gone over this series of tests half a dozen times so that things would run smoothly when they finally got the light, but Barry was having a difficult time keeping his concentration focused. He couldn't quite place what the issue was. It was like a mosquito buzzing in his ear - not clear enough to hear what it was saying but difficult to ignore.

"Anyway, I think the next batch can start if you want to get the 16-hour samples," Barry finished.

The moment he stopped talking, Lup realized she hadn't processed a single word of it. She'd noticed a strange scent in the air and while her eyes stayed on him, she was trying to suss out where it might be coming from.

It was very familiar kind of musky scent. It seemed like it belonged here in the lab, but there was still something off about it that made her hair stand up.

The awkward lull in the conversation was starting stretch on, so she put her instincts aside for now.

"Yeah, I got it."

Even without hearing a damn thing Barry said, Lup knew what her task was. She stopped by her station to grab an elastic for her hair and pull on a pair of latex gloves. She set to work swapping out the samples around the light, carefully making a note of the exact time she removed them from exposure.

Once they were back in their climate-controlled holding chamber, Lup started preparing the new samples that would go for the full 24 hours. The crew had collected many different types of organic tissue to test how they reacted to the light. It was still too soon to draw any conclusions but so far, they'd only seen a reaction in cells taken from brains or the central nervous system of animals.

The consensus among the crew was that this might finally explain the sudden jumps in teleological and sociological progress they had witnessed in civilizations that had access to the power of the light.

In other news, working was also keeping Lup's her mind off other pressing issues.

"Hey, Bluejay? I was thinking. I know it's a bit of a leap, but I think we should start testing on small animals. You know they have mice on this planet? I caught a few the other day. If we bring them in a keep them near the light, we could see how many generations it takes before we see results like on animal world."

Barry paused what he was working on and considered her idea. "I don't know, Lup," he responded slowly. "I mean, it looks like that would happen so, at what point are we testing on intelligent beings? And then we either keep them on the ship and they go who knows where when we leave, or introduce them to the planet and…"

He sighed. "Man, I'd love to see those results, though. That would be..." Barry looked over to where Lup was working. She was working close to the light and the glow made it obvious how flushed she was. "Are you…" He was going to ask if she was okay but remembered that topic was off limits. "Uh, you have a good point," he improvised. Maybe  _they_  were spending to much time exposed to the light. If it could affect small clusters of cells, what the hell could it be doing to them? But they'd talked about that before and it wasn't like there was much of an alternative. They had to study it, had to keep it away from the Hunger when they could. Compared to the apocalypse a little exposure was a necessary risk.

He turned back to the notes he was still compiling from the previous round of samples. That nagging feeling he was missing something wouldn't let him concentrate on filling in the data. He dropped his pencil and removed his glasses, scrubbed at his face with the heel of his hand.

The sensation helped ground him. "I've been wondering if we can use this data to track the light when we don't see it land. If we can extrapolate out a rate of change it would at least be something to go on in the years…" The thought fizzled out. "Maybe we need some samples from us, too," he suggested. "Try to track what it does to  _us_  cause…" he put his glasses back on and tried to find his place on the chart again. "We might not be able to prevent it but maybe we can figure out something."

Lup opened her mouth to reply, she was going to make a joke about exactly what kind of samples they were going to ask for, but before she could get there she was distracted by that strange smell again.

"Ugh. Hold that thought BJ. I need to fucking figure this out."

Lup put the petri dish full of brain cells down and stripped off her gloves. She got down on all fours, embracing the beastly side of her nature in the name of getting it to shut the heck up.

She lifted her head and took a deep breath. It was all over the room, so tracking the source would take some doing. Her tail swished back and forth as she took it all in. Then her eyes snapped open, staring right at Barry.

Lup hopped up on the table Barry was sitting at. She landed delicately enough not to send his notes flying, though his mug of coffee wobbled dangerously.

Barry froze. A quarter century of travel with the twins had taught everyone to, if not expect things like this, then to at least not react in a way that made them worse.

Lup leaned in toward him; her angled pupils dilated to the size of dimes. She bumped her head up against his shoulder and took another deep breath, the tension leaving her posture.

Feeling her relax against him slightly calmed Barry down as well. His fingers twitched as he fought back the urge to give her a scratch behind the ears.

"Huh, I guess it was just you," Lup murmured.

That still didn't feel right though. Human smell was usually very mild and didn't register much with her. Usually, her elf senses didn't care about things that weren't food or competition, but right now Barry smelled like…

Lup made a noise somewhere between a yowl and a meow, so sharp it sounded like she was in pain. She reared back and shoved a hand down over her mouth. She blinked at Barry. Thank the gods he didn't understand what that meant.

"I'm going to go make the microscope samples!" Lup shouted.

She jumped off the table and scurried back to her station. Her pointy ears slicked back, almost parallel with her eyeline.

She needed to get back to work. Right the hell now.

"Uh," Barry said in reply. "O-okay."

Barry wasn't sure how to describe what had happened, but whatever it was, she didn't seem to care for it much. Her raised voice and hasty retreat were clear enough.

He tried to run through the test in his head. Was there something in the experiment that could cause an adverse reaction? He knew what Taako had said, but if there was something in the lab making things difficult for Lup, he wanted to be able to fix it or at least make sure she didn't have to stay here and deal with whatever it was.

"Uh, Lup?" he asked, his rough voice a mix of concern and hesitation, "If you're…" He stopped. Lup was smart. If she wanted to be here, she was probably the best judge. It wasn't his place to tell her what to do. "Just let me know if you need me to handle that for you, okay?"

"Yeah, sure!"

Lup leaned in closer to the tiny slats of glass she was holding and muttered under her breath. "I need you to handle something but it sure isn't the slides…"

She smirked at her own joke, but it was only funny for a moment. Her tail swished back and forth in a steady pattern, slamming against the side of her leg.

Maybe she overreacted? She'd gotten so used to hiding her condition that she hardly even questioned the choice to keep her shipmates in the dark. It had made sense back when they were strangers, but now she had known them for literal decades did it really make sense to keep it as a dirty secret?

These were her friends after all. Fuck, they were even getting close to family at this point. Even if they couldn't help her, it might still be better if they knew.

Lup looked over her shoulder at Barry. She wanted to tell him, but she was just a bit concerned that the impulse was coming from between her legs. One- okay, maybe more like several dozen times, she had moaned his name while trying to quell the unstable appetite that settled over her in heat. It had started as a wild fantasy, but it was getting a lot less wild as they grew closer.

Barry was available, Barry was cute, Barry was caring, Barry had a strong grip, (she could go on all day listing the upsides) but he was also her laboratory partner, and even the best fuck she'd ever had wasn't worth risking their positive professional relationship. The crew was counting on them, and they were counting on one another.

Lup was always game for a casual hookup, but 'casual' implied that she'd be able to get distance from her partner if she needed to. There would be no distance from Barry, he'd be there at the kitchen table every morning, and if he wasn't, it meant something was seriously wrong.

If only he'd been an elf and not a human…no, that wasn't worth thinking about. It would be like asking a hippo to fly south for the winter. Humans had their own ways of doing things. With bits of gold and flowers and a friendly face at the end of an aisle.

Lup finished her slide, carefully sandwiching the sample and a drop of water between the bits of glass. She should wait until she finished making them all before starting, but patience was not her virtue today. She put it under the gigantic electron microscope, turned it on and pressed her eyes to the viewer.

"Holy fuck! Barry come see this! These neurons are going totally ham."

She stepped back and waved him over.

Barry moved over to the microscope to see what Lup had found. He pushed his glasses up on his forehead and peered into the viewer. He adjusted the focus to make up for the difference. As soon as it came into focus he saw what she was excited about. "Shit, Lup. If there's that much progress in four hours of exposure…"

He looked up from the microscope and grinned at her. "I thought the twelve-hour samples were conclusive, but these? The light's influence doesn't just slowly increase, it must be exponential!"

He ran his hands through his hair as he tried to process the implications of this new data. "For this much change, I wonder…" His eyes were unfocused, staring ahead as his mind worked. He dropped his hands and focused on her again. "Maybe it's not just the light influencing the samples but some kind of interaction?" He pulled his glasses down and looked at the samples spread around the light. "We're going to need so many more tests…" he said. He sounded both excited and daunted.

Lup nodded. "-and we're going to have to figure out what the best return on our time investment is going to be. There's so many places we could take this."

Lup tapped her fingers against her bottom lip. Her lips parted, and she bit down softly on the top of her thumb, a clear sign her mind was working away. One of her fangs just visible.

"Do you think what we're seeing here could he the dividing line between sentient beings and non-sentient ones? That could account for the increase, since the light seems to have a stronger impact after that point?"

Lup needed to take second look, she turned her back to Barry and leaned over the microscope. The implications were so interesting that she didn't notice that her tail was swishing back and forth like an overclocked metronome.

Barry's mind was spinning, already thinking five steps ahead to how they could adjust the tests they already had planned.

"What if this explains the limits on what can come with us between cycles and what can't?" he wondered aloud. "It could…"

Before he finished that sentence, causality finally intervened, and Lup's tail clocked him broadside in the chest, completely surprising the thought out of his head.

Lup's tail twitched and swished again. This time the furry tip caught him in the face, nearly knocking his glasses off. Barry reacted without consciously deciding. One hand reached up to save his glasses from falling and the other reached out to prevent a recurrence.

All Barry's mind offered when he looked down and saw what he'd done was 'threat or target' because his hand was wrapped firmly around the base of her tail and he was pretty sure he'd just become both.

Lup dug her nails into the countertop.

'Hold it together. Hold it together.'

Her whole body shivered violently. Then her shoulders dropped down, her back arched, and she moaned so loudly it echoed around the laboratory.

Barry couldn't have known what he had just done. She knew that, but her body didn't give a single fuck what his intentions were. He was holding her tail up and out of the way. Had they not been fully dressed, he'd have full access to her.

Mating was always a harrowing process for elves. Claws and fangs were readily available and the mix of adrenaline and hormones tended to make the innate hunting instinct go haywire. Holding the base of the tail was one of the best ways to keep a receiving partner calm through the process.

If he had been holding her lightly, Lup might have stood a chance but as she had just reminded herself, Barry had a good grip.

All at once, Lup's legs gave out under her. She landed on her knees and hands on the floor. The move forced Barry to let go, but the damage was already done. Lup was on fire again and she felt like she could hardly breathe.

"Fuck."

As reactions go, none of that was what Barry expected. When he'd realized where he'd inadvertently put his hand, he pretty much figured his breathing was done for the cycle.

His first thought was that he'd hurt her. He opened his mouth to apologize, ask what he could do to help,

"Ba-barry!" Lup half stammered, half moaned, looking over her shoulder at him with large pleading eyes. His mouth clamped back shut.

Lup knew she needed to talk before she lost her voice to the animal inside her. Give him something to justify this mess.

"The reason I'm gone for two weeks every year is because elves have a heat cycle and I get so fuck-god horny that I can't function. I was trying to get more time around the edges, but it was really dumb, and I'm literally about to break down right now."

Between what Lup was telling him and all the little pieces he'd been both consciously and unconsciously noting, Barry added everything up. He understood. He conveyed it eloquently, "Oh." Then followed it with an equally brilliant, " _Ohhh._ "

Lup rolled over onto her back, the cool laboratory floor was heaven against her skin. She wanted to rub up against everything but especially him. She stretched out, her arms out over her head. Her cute black ankle-boots were both planted on the floor as she held her legs open. Her skirt was still covering her but as far as her instincts were concerned she was presenting right now. Presenting herself for Barry.

Barry's thought processes stuttered. He should… do something. Get someone? No, she wouldn't want that. Um.

Lup started trembling again. Not as violently, but consistently.

"Shit, Lup, uh," Barry really didn't know what to say. She was clearly… in distress. All he knew was that he wanted to  _help_  but. This was Lup.

His heart gave an awkward squeeze. Seeing her caught in this, upset by something she couldn't control? It made him feel something he couldn't quite process. Afraid, worried, uncomfortable, helpless, and painfully aware of her in every single way he'd been trying so hard and so long not to notice.

"You grabbed my tail…" Lup breathed, her tone somewhere between accusatory and enraptured. As impossible as that seemed.

Barry flinched. He knew he'd done something wrong. Causing all this hadn't been his intention, but he was still responsible. She'd been holding herself together until he put his hands on her.

"What can I do, Lup? Tell me how to help you." The words were out of his mouth before he realized the implications. Shit. Okay. Well, that… that probably wasn't going to be a problem anyway. So. It was fine.

Lup blinked up at him. Dear, sweet Barry. Dear, sweet, gods-damn clueless Barry.

"Fuck me!"

She didn't intend for that to sound quite so demanding, but there it was. Lup sat up and shook her head. Focus. She needed to focus. Humans talked about this stuff. If this was going to happen she needed to make sure they were on the same page.

"You don't have to. Obviously, you don't. Ugh, look, Bear, you can help me get to my room and lock me in or you can bend me over one of these tables and…"

Lup pressed her thighs tighter tightly. Oh, that mental image. Way too much for her right now. She whimpered and shuddered on top of her trembling.

"If… if you need to know where I am at right now. I'm kind of leaning towards that second option. I'm like, really here for having your dick in me right now..."

Barry had never been fishing, but he felt suddenly sure what it was like to be pulled out of the water dangling on a sharpened hook.

"Uh," was all he could manage. His mouth was completely dry and his throat had forgotten how to work. Barry's face was redder than his IPRE robe.

He rubbed a hand across his mouth. "Is that, uh, would that…"

'Get ahold of your words already,' some distant, still working part of Barry's brain demanded internally. Okay, he'd logic this out. It was, uh, just science.

"W-would that, um, work better than..." he swallowed, "better than the, uh, lock up option?"

Holy hells, Barry thought. She'd just said...  _what she had said_  and he still felt like he was being a creepy pervert.

Two factions in his brain were yelling completely opposing arguments. 'This is LUP!' one side of his brain pointed out, while the other argued 'But this is Lup!'

He wasn't sure if touching her had been the best or worst thing he'd ever done. He had a candidate for the same contest as he answered, "I'll help you with whichever is best."

"Whichever is best?!" If Lup had even a scrap of energy left for anything that wouldn't help get her laid, she would have rolled her eyes.

"Fuck, Barry. Let's just put it this way; if you want me functioning tomorrow, you should hurry and help me get my clothes off."

Even though him touching her had gotten them into this mess, Lup was finding herself increasingly annoyed he was keeping to himself. Clearly, he didn't understand how much she needed his hands on her body. She pulled herself to her feet, swaying like she was drunk.

She pounced on him, slipping her arms under his red robe and crossed them around his back. She rubbed her whole body up against him, mixing their scents together and burying herself in his musky aroma. She hadn't wanted to listen but this whole time her senses had been telling her that, human or not, he was a missing piece she needed to have.

Barry was a lot of things but made of stone wasn't one of them. He'd managed to keep rational thought active but those processes started shorting out quickly once Lup had him in her arms.

Lup didn't want to use all her charm against him. That would be completely unfair. But maybe if she just told the truth?

"It sounds like this is coming out of nowhere, but babe, you should know… When I've been alone in heat, I kept thinking about you. I... I should have asked…"

And with that, his last reluctant barrier between this happening and not happening was knocked down. She'd thought about him? Like  _that?_

Lup leaned up and kissed him, putting all her weight into it. Her tail swished, going just as fast as it had when she was excited about the light samples. It was like shoving her mouth full of cake, finally getting to taste a long-forbidden treat.

As soon as her mouth was on his, Barry was a goner. There was nothing left in him to argue for time or thought or better judgement.

She dropped onto her heels. He almost leaned down after her, wanting more of her lips, more everything.

"Fuck me, Barry. Please? I'll beg if you want."

His hands were reaching for her even before she put the icing on the cake. Beg? He'd have handed over his soul for another brief kiss if he'd had the reasoning ability to make the deal. Instead, Barry responded the only way he could at that point. He wrapped his hands around her waist and walked her backwards to the desk, so he could hoist her up on the surface.

He pushed forward, pressing himself against her and kissed her again. He wanted to say something, confirm once more this was happening and check that she wasn't going to viciously regret this in a minute, but words were a very long way away from something he could manage now. He forcefully pulled his mouth away from hers and looked at her one more time, trying to convey the things he couldn't say. His hands on her sides clutched at her involuntarily.

"L-Lup?" was all he managed to say.

Lup licked her lips. She liked this. This is exactly where she wanted to be. There were going to be consequences, but now the choice had been made, there was nothing left to do right now besides revel in it.

"I've got another surprise."

She traced his arm until she found his right hand, and then pressed the palm flat against her leg. Lup moaned as she guided him up to her inner thigh. She was directing the movement, but it was still him touching her. She bit down on her bottom lip, her tail whacking itself against the desk. The anticipation was killing her.

Barry held his breath. Her soft skin beneath his palm was a sensation he could barely process.

Then Lup took him by the wrist and moved his hand into the spot where her legs met.

"I haven't been wearing anything under this skirt all day."

Lup smirked, showing off her fangs. Her eyes fell half closed. It had been so long. Just having his fingers pressing against her folds was sending a whole new kind of tremor through her.

"Feel that?" Lup asked, rocking her hips just a little to coat his fingers in her slickness.

Barry had been looking for one more sign of consent, and as with everything Lup did, she made herself completely clear. He bit down on his lip, unaware, every shred of his awareness directed to the hand she held against herself.

He took a sharp breath in and closed his eyes. She was so …  _Lup_.

Lup ran her tongue over her fangs and purred, "This is all for you, babe."

Hearing her call him 'babe', Barry lost his mind a little. He groaned. That kiss had awoken something in him, touching her had made the feeling insistent and demanding, but hearing that unchained it.

Barry moved forward, angling her legs further apart. He turned his hand, pressing his palm against her and curled one finger ever so slightly. "For me?" he asked, his rough voice low. He slid his hand back and forth slowly, pressing into her a little more each time, testing the waters.

"Y-yeah…" Lup stammered, "I was going to give you pointers but, uh, I think you've got it."

Lup shut her eyes tight. She hadn't really been expecting anything, but never in her wildest dreams would she have guessed Barry J. Bluejeans would jump right into teasing her. She grabbed him by the shoulders, allowing him to take over now that she'd got him started.

For all that Barry wanted to rip off his clothing and give her exactly what she'd originally demanded, part of him was really enjoying the feeling of her insistent squirming. Fuck, he loved it, loved … He bit back the words that wanted to tumble out and focused on just enjoying this and making her feel good.

Lup meowed, high and needy. Her hips moved with him just slightly. Every time she was sure he would slip inside right before he pulled back. What was the point of even having big hands like his if he didn't put his fingers in her?

Lup shifted just a bit so she could pull her boots off. They hit the floor with two distinct thuds. That fixed, she crossed her legs behind his hips, ankle over ankle.

Lup's legs around him was a feeling Barry never anticipated experiencing. If he had, he'd probably never have made it to this point.

Lup pulled herself up to kiss him, crushing her mouth against his. Lips moved and tongues quickly got involved. Lup's fingers tangled into his hair as she took his invitation to explore his mouth. His tongue was softer than hers and his teeth were oddly flat. Then again, everything about Barry was comfortable like that.

Lup laid back down on the desk and stretched her body out. Her tail flopped against her chest, the tip still twitching.

Barry's eyes widened as he took in the Lup feast out in front of him.

"So... that's a 'yes' to begging? Cuz, that's what I'm getting right now," Lup breathed, glancing down at his hand.

She let out a long breath that hitched in the middle.

"Barry, fingers in. Plllllllease? I haven't had anyone touch me like this in twenty-five fucking years..."

Barry laughed, completely delighted by the scene he'd somehow found himself in. He couldn't spare the mental power to run his usual internal monologue right now. If he had, though, he'd have been completely shocked to find himself taunting Lup.

"Like this?" he asked. He slid his hand forward again and this time pushed his finger between her folds, a second sliding in a moment later. She was so slick. Warm. His fingers kept moving and he angled his hand to push further inside her.

A visible jolt went through Lup, starting with a jerk of her hips, then a flutter in her abdomen, a rise of her chest and all the way up to her fingers curling into her palms. Even her ears flicked back.

"Ahaah! Yes, Barry."

Barry's other hand clutched tightly to a handful of her skirt where it was pushed up on her hips. "Gods, Lup," he said, overwhelmed. "You're so…" he couldn't even think of words to finish the thought.

Lup tightened up around Barry's fingers. She was so wet she could swear she felt herself soaking his whole hand. If she had been flushed before, it was nothing compared to now. Her cheeks had it worse but her thighs and upper chest and even her ear tips were faintly crimson.

Her clothing was starting to feel rather uncomfortable and since Barry was busy she decided to fix it herself. She crossed her wrists over the hem of her sweater and pulled it over her head in one fluid motion. It landed on the floor behind the desk and once she snapped open the front-facing clap of her bra, it followed suit.

Lup's breathing settled, now she was finally being sated. Instinct pushed her down into calm in the interests of giving her partner a single chance in hell of closing the deal.

"More. More, Barry. Please?"

Suddenly, the part of Lup's brain that cared remembered she was lying on their work table. She glanced down and twisted, trying to get a good look at the table.

"Fuck, I'm not laying on anything important am I, babe? This could get messy..."

Lup's question about the things on the desk might have gotten through Barry, except she called him 'babe' again and he was still memorizing every detail she had just put on display for him.

Somehow, he managed to find a course that dealt with both concerns. He let go of her skirt to scoop his arm under her back and pull her to his chest. Then he raked his hand across the desk, shoving whatever he could quickly grab out of the way. Papers and folders slid down the desk, half of them fluttering to the floor.

Lup glanced over her shoulder and gave a slight shrug. "C-cool! That works!"

Some distant part of Barry - and another not so distant part - wanted  _more_  but he was far too interested in where his hand already was and Lup's enjoyment.

He wrapped his arm around her and bent his head to her neck, murmuring nonsense words and sounds into her skin as he kept rocking his hand against her, delving his fingers into her. He angled his thumb, sliding wetly upwards to make loose circles against her.

Lup moved along with him, crossing her legs at the knees now their hips were lined up. She pressed the flat of her hand against the back of his neck. His lips were on her throat, the faint vibration from whatever he was saying made her shudder.

"Barry! Bite me. Bite me. Right there."

Lup didn't know if Barry would follow through, but she wanted it so badly. His marks on her, the hint of pain. She didn't care if everyone else knew what they had done together. She'd wear it with pride.

Barry responded to her request automatically, scraping his teeth against her before he realized what he was doing. It woke him up, somehow. Those parts of him that had fallen silent now hyper aware that he'd wordlessly become an extension of her need after his own quiet years of longing. He nipped lightly at her neck, following each scrape of his teeth with a firm kiss or whisper of her name.

His thumb brushed up against her clit, mixing with the sting of the bite on her neck. Lup grabbed a handful of red fabric from the back of Barry's robe. She cried out and it turned into a yowl halfway through.

Her tail got between his legs and wrapped around one thigh. It clung to him as desperately as the rest of her.

Lup couldn't handle it. Not after days of being so horny she couldn't think straight. Every motion was so precise and deliberate. It was like her body was one of his science projects and he knew exactly what needed to be done to make her combust.

Lup's thighs squeezed against his hips.

"F-fuck, fuck! Barry!"

His fingers curled just a bit, hitting up against a spot inside her that made her forget how to breathe.

Barry had thought Lup's insistent squirming was intoxicating but her clutching at him as she shivered around him was just... everything. All of him was pushing towards her. His cock strained against his clothes and if his heart beat any harder it would escape his chest.

He angled his hand against her once more, curled his fingers, and pressed his thumb more insistently as his circling movement became tighter.

Lup whimpered softly, melting into Barry's shoulder. Her orgasm hit like a freight train. Lup sobbed, crying out in pleasure. Every bit of her tensed up then released as the wave of ecstasy took over.

When she came back to herself, both her hands where clawing at the fabric on Barry's back, her body pressed firmly against his.

"Barry... Holy shit," Lup stammered though her panting. They were all the words she could manage.

Barry huffed sharp breaths out, his face pressed into her hair as he held her. He felt inordinately pleased with himself, a feeling as unfamiliar as everything else that had just happened.

He reluctantly slid his hand free and opened his mouth to mutter a spell. Instead he raised his hand and licked his fingers first. He didn't know if this would ever happen again but now he knew what she tasted like. Gods help him, he wanted more.

Lup opened her mouth to ask if she tasted good but all that came out was a soft 'merrrrow.'

She tried again with similar results. She knew she knew words, but Lup had forgotten how to use them. Barry had made them fall right out of her brain.

Even though she had just climaxed, Lup felt more keyed up than ever. She wasn't satisfied yet. Not even close. She ached all over, crying out for him to finish her off. To join her.

Lup could feel the faint bite marks he'd left in her throat. Not as prominent as she had been hoping, but all she needed was for them to be there. Reminding her that she had a mate at last.

Lup had to pry her hands off Barry. The need to hold him was strong but not quite as strong as her other desires.

She pulled her legs back up onto the desk and folded them underneath her. She meowed at Barry and her tail returned to slapping itself lightly against the desk. She couldn't remember how to say it in words. But she needed him to do the thing.

She reared up and pawed at his chest, stopping midway through to kiss him before returning to pawing. After a few more seconds, she gave up. Nature was clearly taking over at this point. She'd have to follow the script and hope Barry would go with it.

She gave him one last wide-eyed look, then turned her back to him. She got on her hands and knees, spread her legs, and lowered her front half down onto her elbows. Her tail curved in against her back, staying out of the way and drawing the eye to her entrance.

Lup buried her face in her elbow. There was no way he wouldn't get that message at least. She started trembling again. She could only imagine what kind of view she was giving poor Barry right now. She snuck a peek back at him, holding her breath as she waited to see what he would do.

Barry had clearly underestimated Lup. He'd imagined - in as much as he'd been able to think - that she'd be sated enough to regain control. But after a whole series of things that surprised Barry, Lup… doing _that_  caught him as much off guard as her reaction when he first grabbed her tail.

Her body was clearly still making demands and his was answering just as emphatically. The voice insisting this was a bad idea had started speaking up again but the taste in his mouth and the bulge becoming painful in his pants were louder. The slight indecision coupled with the sight Lup was providing had him frozen, though.

Then she whimpered at him pleadingly and the sound jolted him into motion. He shucked off his robe, not paying any mind as it fell to the floor along with the mess of papers and folders surrounding them. His hands went to his belt, cursing the need for both to unfasten it. As soon as it was loose, he did the same with the button and fly on his jeans, not bothering to do more than push them just far enough out of the way to free himself.

It took a tremendous amount of willpower not to just shove himself inside her. He put one hand on her hip, angling her as he lined himself at her entrance. He wanted to tease her again or say something but now that he had his dick in his hand and was this close there was no elegance left in him. He slid himself slowly in, her slick skin welcoming him. He groaned at the overwhelming bliss of her tight and wet around him. "Fuck, Lup," he managed in a near growl at the effort of restraining himself from ruthlessly drilling into her.

Lup join in on his groan, adding her own soft trill that she hoped translated to 'Finally!'

Lup felt like he had just given her a piece she had been missing. He filled her up, going deeper than his fingers ever could, eliminating the last shred of space between them. Lup tensed herself up around him, getting a feel for how he fit. Maybe it was just her heat addled brain, but it felt like he was made for her. Even his hands on her hips seemed to be just the right size.

"I…" Barry started with no thought left for completing the sentence as he pressed further in then slid slowly out.

Lup hiccupped a breath. She pulled herself back up onto her hands and started moving along with him, meeting his thrusts halfway.

She meowed and chirruped her approval. The noises worked on him like whatever Lup's personal cycle was doing to her. All he could do was match his thrusts with hers. Everything was reduced to the feel of her, the sounds she made, and their mutual need.

Lup swallowed hard and pushed through the fog to get a sentence out. Her tail was hanging off the side of her hip. She moved it, pressing it up against Barry's chest.

"Tail, Babe. Take it!"

Barry reacted instinctively, grabbing firmly and holding as he continued driving into her.

Lup froze up. Her mind went blank and her heartbeat was a roar in her ears. They moved together, caught up in a primal dance that crossed the divide between species.

He rocked faster against her, fingers wrapped tighter than he realized around her tail as he struggled to hold his control longer.

Lup gathered up all the strength she could and pulled herself up to her knees. She reached behind her for Barry, her arms crossing behind his neck in strange sort of backwards hug. It helped he had one arm around her hip to keep her in place, teasing the spot right above where his dick was pounding into her.

Lup's shoulders pressed against him as her back arched. Gravity was an amazing force and with the new angle Barry was sliding even deeper. On a good thrust, he hit something deep inside her and Lup let out a scream of pleasure. Her mouth was hanging open and she might have even been drooling a little bit. Gods knew there was probably a wet spot on the desk underneath her now.

"Lup," Barry murmured, his voice ragged. He repeated her name several more times - the only word he could manage as he drove himself into her. Barry's control was starting to slip so he slid his hand from her hip, reaching to tease his fingers near but not quite touching her clit. Lup grabbed his wrist and squeezed hoping that was encouragement.

"Barry!"

She heard him chanting her name like it was a prayer. If she were a goddess, Lup would have given him anything he asked for. She could feel each thrust all the way up in her abdomen. She tilted her head to the side and tried to get him to bury his face in her neck on the same side as her lovely new bitemarks.

"Babe, we… we're going to go together, okay?"

Lup had no idea what she was even saying but her instincts were screaming 'breed me!' and she was trying to put it into words.

Barry rocked against her for all he was worth, driving faster and harder as she leaned against him. There was nothing in existence beyond the rhythm of the two of them. She tilted her body to angle her neck at him and he took her meaning, burying his face against her skin. If she'd been telegraphing her demands directly into his head, he wouldn't have been surprised because for all his typical confusion right then he knew exactly what she wanted.

"Right there, just like that."

Barry heard her saying things, but it could have been anything. All he knew was the delicious warmth enveloping him, the taste of her skin, the crush of them as they drove into each other.

He moved to scrape his teeth, nip at her skin, but then one word from her lips cut through the fog.

" _Barry._ "

The other words had washed over him, nearly meaningless. But his name in her mouth and the way she said it… it wasn't the demanding or pleading or teasing tone she'd used with everything else she'd said. She said his name like it meant something. He dug his teeth into the gentle curve where her neck and shoulder met. He was trying to stop himself from answering that tender tone she'd used with words he'd been choking on for years. He caught himself after a moment and kissed the spot reverently.

"Lup," he warned, then pushed his fingers against her. Completely overcome, he pressed his mouth to her neck again, nipping at the same spot he'd already marked as he drove his hips against her hard, slamming himself into her as far as he could.

Lup was so close, just from him driving her so hard, but the pressure on her clit sealed it. She held her breath. Her second orgasm almost felt like a natural extension of the first. Starting up where the last had left off and throwing her back into the maelstrom. Lup cried out his name again, the two syllables dripping with desperation and desire.

He bit down just as they stopped moving, the spark of pain making the pleasure enveloping her that much better. She shivered but otherwise kept still. She felt his cock twitching inside her, along with a shudder from rest of him as he finished.

Feeling her orgasm around him was more than Barry could have ever prepared himself for but hitting the moment together had set everything in him buzzing and unfamiliar feeling, a contentment that made him want to wrap his arms around her and never let go. The feeling vocalized in a warm sound of complete satisfaction as he kissed the soft bit of skin just behind the base of her ear.

They came down together, slowly regaining composure one breath at a time. Lup's shoulders were starting to hurt but she couldn't bring herself to take back her arms. The moment was to perfect she didn't want to break it.

But despite her wishes, time was trickling onwards.

Barry's breathing slowed back into the normal range and with it, thoughts started to work their way through his brain again.

They had. He'd. He and Lup had. Oh shit.

Lup ran her fingers though Barry's short hair and over the back of his neck.

"That was so good… like… crazy good…" Lup panted.

Barry allowed himself one more moment with his lips against her neck. He moved his mouth against her before he drew back, leaving a soundless whisper of the words he had been holding back for so long, written invisible on her skin.

Okay, rule number one, his brain demanded as it went into emergency mode. If she doesn't regret it then you don't regret it. She seemed happy right now. 'Crazy good,' she'd said. So, it's fine. He hadn't said anything stupid. He'd just… just helped with her problem. They were adults and that could be that. She didn't have to know he'd dreamed of touching her since… ever.

Barry tucked himself into his boxers and fastened his jeans awkwardly. This is fine. Everything is fine, he insisted to himself.

Lup was a lot less modest. Once Barry pulled out, she flopped herself down onto the desk, laying on her side with one arm holding her up. She tried to get a quick peek at Barry's dick before he tucked it away, but he was quick about it. Lup licked her lips. Next time she was going to get a proper look at him. Maybe right before she took him into her mouth.

Barry's eyes fell to the marks on her neck. They were already obvious even to his poor human eyes. "Oh, shit, Lup," he said, rubbing his fingers over them lightly. "I didn't realize…" That was certainly going to tell a tale. Oh gods, they hadn't exactly been quiet, either.

Lup blinked slowly at him, still hovering on cloud nine for the time being. "Don't…. don't sweat it, big guy. That's… that's just how this works."

The view of Lup laid out across the desk did a good job of making Barry's mind jump the tracks again for a moment. Gods help him, he wanted to use his mouth and hands and keep touching her until…

Instead, he limited his touch to a single finger on her neck. He couldn't stop tracing the marks. It seemed impossible that he'd done that. He,  _Barry_ , had left marks on  _Lup_. And she was fine with it? More than fine with it?

She moved into his touch, his gentleness contrasting so well with the lingering sting.

"I'd be more annoyed if you hadn't left a mark on me. Then I wouldn't have any proof I'd picked a mate."

Lup slipped a hand between her legs. He'd gotten a taste of her earlier and she was not about to let him have all the fun. She pressed her fingers inside herself, gathering up some of the off-white fluid. She brought them to her lips and licked them clean again.

"Mmmm, I'll want more of that later, by the way."

Lup smiled a predatory smile at him. She really should have been more concerned about this, but she was pretty sure her brain was currently drowning in oxytocin right now. The pain from her neck was stimulating the bonding response, Lup could almost feel the new connections forming as Barry was slotted into his new role.

A mate. She had a Mate.

"Wait. Proof you found…" Barry repeated but the sentence disappeared as she moved her hand and spoke again.

His muscles forgot how to work for a moment and he backed against something behind him, grabbed at whatever piece of furniture - a chair - he could put his hand on.

Lup meowed, (she was enjoying his finger on her neck, damn it,) but her annoyance quickly turned to concern as he stumbled away from her.

Barry was still sorting through what she was staying. 'More of that later.' 'Picked a mate.' That smile that looked like someone's pet bird had gone missing and she was hiding a mouthful of feathers. There was a very simple bit of addition to put together but Barry's mind was failing at it entirely.

"Barry?"

Lup hopped off the desk, her skirt fell back into place, but it was far too late to hide anything.

She approached him carefully, reaching out for him, but not willing to cross the space he put between them without his permission.

"You want to be my mate, don't you?" Lup asked with a disbelieving laugh. "You bit my neck! You..."

As soon as she said it out loud, Lup realized her mistake. Barry wasn't an elf. He didn't know what that meant. He had only done it because she asked him to.

He hadn't agreed to be her mate.

Something in Lup's chest pulled taught, then snapped.

"Oh... oh, shit. Oh, crap. Oh no, oh no."

Lup's vision clouded over. Tears began to pour down her cheeks while the rest of her froze up.

The thought of being rejected now was too awful to contemplate. They'd done the dance so perfectly together! How could he just walk away from that?

But of course, he was human. None of that had any special significance. He was free to walk away. He had only said he would help this time and only because he was trying to help.

Lup stared at the floor. For once she had nothing to say. She blinked and blinked, and her tears flowed freely.

"No, Lup," Barry said, feeling as broken and confused as she looked. "Don't… Oh gods, please don't… Oh, fuck. I  _have_  ruined everything, haven't I?"

He didn't know if he should touch her, but he couldn't  _not_  try to comfort her.

"Lup," he said again. Her name was a plea as he wrapped his arms around her, ready to let her free if she didn't want his touch.

Barry pressed a kiss to her hair while his mind worked through what she'd said again. Did she really want…? Was it possible that she didn't just need help with her problem but wanted  _him?_

There was nothing to do but offer that same vulnerability. "Lup, I've wanted you, to be with you, to… to be whatever you'd have of me, Lup, for," he sighed. "Gods, Lup, I don't know, forever? But, I didn't… I never... Hell, I'm making a mess of this," he said, frustrated.

He tried again. "Look, I thought you just needed… someone. To help. Not that you wanted... well, me. But if you do?" His heart was hammering in his chest just considering the possibility. "Lup, I must have said it a hundred times when we… If you could just see the words on your skin but…" Barry wiped his eyes, accidentally knocking his glasses to an angle but not caring. He took a deep breath and forced himself to give sound to the words he'd breathed into her skin again and again. "I love you, Lup," he admitted. "Hopelessly, ridiculously, endlessly."

Lup skipped right past relief and plunged headfirst into fury. She clung to him so tightly the muscles in her arms screamed.

"Mine," she growled, low and dangerous, coming from deep inside her chest.

Lup's returned embrace spiked Barry's pulse. Fragments of thoughts flew through his mind, none of them able to take in the reality of the situation. She called him hers.  _Hers._

Lup's tail flashed out behind her. This stupid shirt he was wearing was in her way. She zeroed in on it, and in a split second, the whole thing turned to ash, leaving Barry completely unharmed but also bare chested.

Barry only noticed a faint whiff of ozone. But it didn't take much to realize the literal fire cat dragging him to the floor was responsible.

Lup wanted to shove him onto his back but settled for dragging him down slowly. She put her weight against him until he sunk to the floor with her. She crawled up on his hips and pinned his hands to the floor above his head.

Her slit-like pupils were narrowed to thin pinpricks. Her growling pitched up.

"Mine," she repeated.

Lup kissed him, parting his lips with her own and getting her tongue involved. The whole time she refused to stay still, rocking on his hips, pulling on his hair, and pawing at his shoulder.

She sat up again, licking her lips. Better, but not enough. She needed her scent on every bit of him. She went for his neck first, licking up the side of his throat, then moved to his shoulder. She alternated between licking and biting, leaving tiny fang marks all over.

She left off again and started nuzzling into Barry's upper chest. Rubbing her forehead against him. She was muttering two words under her breath, "Mine," and "Barry," repeating one after the other, over and over.

She dragged her fingers over his tummy. Fortunately, she kept her nails short, or she would have left claw marks.

Barry felt like the feast Lup was painstakingly devouring. Between her touches, kisses, and her repetition of his name and calling him hers, Barry felt punch drunk and electric, dazed and overwhelmed.

Every time she said the words was another piece building something enormous and impossible inside him. It threatened to break him apart into a million pieces at the same time it was rebuilding him into someone the same as he'd been that morning except for the incomprehensible difference that he was hers.

Lup sat back on his hips, panting heavily. After a moment, the deep breaths turned into strong, rumbling purrs.

Barry looked up at her, perched over him like a conqueror, bare chested and glorious. All he could do was stare. His mouth pulled into a ridiculous smile, eyes peering at her in wonder through glasses that sat askew from her assault.

He heard her purring as well as felt it, rumbling where she sat across his hips. He pushed himself upright to wrap his arms around her again. He needed to feel her pressed against his skin, touch her, smell her,  _kiss_  her. He couldn't focus, could only press his lips to hers then stop to mutter her name again, repeating the cycle because kissing her and saying her name were impossible to ignore impulses he couldn't decide between.

He paused, looking into her eyes. "Yours," he agreed. Suddenly inspired, he bent his head, pressed his mouth to her neck and nipped at her skin before repeating, "yours."

Lup chirped when he nipped her marks. He was catching along so quick. Why had she thought it mattered he was a human and not another elf? Barry was Barry, and now he was hers.

She purred and purred and purred. Kissing him sometimes, holding him always. There was no going back now, he had agreed. All hers.

Lup lounged on him like he was a feather pillow. For the first time all week she felt completely content. Physically and emotionally satisfied. The wildcat inside her settled down, allowing her to have a coherent train of thought once again.

"Fuck, Babe, I was so scared there for a second."

She laughed, but the humor sill had a touch of anxiety in it. Being rejected by a mate after they'd bitten you was emotionally devastating, even to the strongest queens.

"Can you, uh, can you say that again?" Barry asked, turning a light scarlet. "Call me that, I mean?" He bit his lip and groaned softly. "I, uh, it just, it sounds really good."

Lup smirked, "Of course, babe, as many times as you want it, babe."

The smile faded a bit when Lup finally remembered their surroundings. The floor was a mess, clothing mixed in with scattered papers and even some broken glass.

"Dang, I don't think they had reproductive experiments in mind when they built this lab, huh?"

Barry looked around too. She was right, they'd really made an impact. Barry started laughing. He pulled her tighter to his chest. "Oh gods, Lup," he said, struggling to form the words. "High school me would be  _so proud_  of this mess." He kissed her again and tilted his head against hers. "Now me is too, actually."

Lup nuzzled him back. "You should be. That was amazing. I can still feel it in my toes." She ran her fingers through his hair over and over. Grooming it one way then the other, to see what she liked best. "We should mayyyybe keep it to the bedroom from now on. At least when the others are home... we are going to get such grief for this."

A terrible thought blossomed fear in his chest. He didn't want to borrow trouble, but he felt suddenly cold. "Um, Lup?" he asked, his voice low and worried. "Is this… You said 'two weeks' when you…" His arms tightened around her reflexively as if someone was already pulling her away from him. "That's not… Did you mean…" He shivered, already certain of the oncoming pain. He pushed the words out in a rush, "Is 'mate' just, uh, just for your cycle?"

Lup blinked at him. "What? Oh, Nha. That would be kind of shitty wouldn't it?"

Barry sagged in relief. "Thank all the gods in existence," he sighed. "If you'd said…" he shivered again as the fear danced over his spine.

She sat up and showed off her neck and the bite marks there.

"See. Those are going to fade, right? So you'll add new ones once in a while. If they're there, then it means I belong to you. Elves are simple like that. No rings or paperwork required. "

Lup showed off all her teeth especially the sharp ones.

"-and more importantly, you belong to me."

He looked at the spots on her neck as she explained what they signified. He reached up to follow her fingers as she touched the marks. He brushed the pads of his fingers lightly over the places, marveling at the meaning and her obvious pride in their display.

Lup closed her eyes and purred but she was too excited to let the moment last that long.

"Are you up for more tonight? We should be able to keep my heat manageable if we bone down maybe twice a day, but we can slow down after if you need a break."

"More?" Barry asked with a relieved smile. He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. "As much as you want, Lup," he promised.

He sat up again and dove his mouth into her neck. He stroked his tongue over the most obvious of the marks then pressed his teeth against her skin again. "Mine," he said, his voice even more gravel-roughened than usual. He curled his arms under hers to clutch at her shoulders. His mouth slid up the side of her neck, kissing, licking, and scraping his teeth on her skin. "I'm never letting these fade."

Lup meowed her approval, leaning into it. Every time he bit her, it was like he was renewing his promise. Promising to stay by her side no matter what. It may have been messy there for a moment, but the heat had melted them together.

"I know you won't. I trust you, babe, with everything."

Lup took a deep breath in and kissed his forehead. "You smell even better than before. I wish you could tell. Taako is going to flip. Maybe literally. I might as well have written 'I fucked Lup' on your forehead."

"Oh," Barry said, reminded that other people existed beyond the two of them. "Oh, shit."

For a moment he was worried and embarrassed. But it was nothing compared to the worry that she didn't want more from him or that this was temporary.

"Okay. I, uh," he swallowed nervously. "I'll accept the consequences." He sniffed, trying to catch what she meant. There was definitely something, but it was just the inevitable sex and sweat and while he certainly appreciated it, he was pretty sure there was more implication to it as a cat-elf.

"I am  _so_  glad you came to work today," he laughed. He kissed her forehead and brushed a hair back from her face, tucking it over her ear.

"Me fucking too," Lup agreed with the laugh. "Let's never pretend we aren't desperately attracted to one another again, okay? That suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucked."

"Taako won't actually try to  _kill_  me though, right?" he asked. "I really don't want to miss out on any, uh," he looked around the half-destroyed lab. "On any more experiments. I can come up with lots more hypotheses we should test. But yeah, more private environments might be good."

Very slowly, Lup dismounted from his hips, Barry following suit by reluctantly letting her go. Even if they weren't doing anything, just having her there felt  _right_.

"TK will be cool. I just think he'll be pissed that we wasted all that time only to cave like that."

Lup's heart started racing in her chest all over again as she sorted through the implications.

"And, I'm all ears babe. I'm peculiarly interested in seeing what kind of vigorous reaction we get when you're the one applying the momentum."

Lup waved her hand. Her clothing picked itself off the floor and flew over to her and she started pulling it on.

Barry got up as well, picking up his robe, then gathering some of the papers and things he'd knocked in the floor. He'd have to go find another shirt later but he wasn't willing to worry about it until he had to. The walk to his room seemed much too far. Barry was still having trouble reconciling the idea that he'd done such a thing much less amid…

He looked back at Lup, suddenly worried he'd hallucinated the whole thing. Dropping everything he'd picked up on the desk, he caught her hand and tugged it to his mouth to kiss her fingers. "No going back," he said. "I'm…" He ran a finger over her knuckles, "You're right, it sucked. I never imagined there was another option. I'd never be able to take it now."

"Just lose the jeans next time. Right?" Lup said, tugging on the front pocket of the offending article. "You got to see all of me, only fair."

Lup huffed and pouted over-dramatically. "I could have burned them too, but then you'd be Barry No-pants"

"I'm not sure that would be a good look for me," he protested, letting go of her hand so she could finish getting dressed. "And it's hard to find jeans, let alone my size. Even with a free regenned pair."

The papers were fine. He stacked them neatly to sort out later and found a cloth to wipe down the desk. They'd really done a number on the place.

"Oh, shit," he said, suddenly remembering the crash he hadn't been able to devout thought to before. "Watch that, kitten" he said. She was still barefoot. He gathered the largest pieces of glass and found the broom. "This isn't the fun kind of dangerous," he said as he cleared the rest of the glass.

"I guess this wasn't the most appropriate use of lab time," he said. "Not that I feel one tiny bit bad about it." He smiled, realizing just how true that was. He would happily take whatever teasing the crew wanted to dish out if it meant Lup was with him.

"Yeah but, just think of how much brain power you can dedicate to work now that you aren't pining after me hopelessly the whole time."

Lup laughed, then it occurred to her that Barry might not find it so funny. "Sorry… that was probably too soon."

She flung a couple of spells around. Catching up everything Barry might have missed. Then she pulled on her boots.

"I think I might grab a quick shower?" Lup glanced down at her legs. It was going to be impossible for her to keep working with the evidence right there, reminding her about what else she could be doing with Barry.

"Do you want me to get you a replacement shirt? Sorry, by the way."

She came over and kissed him. "Mine." She repeated happily before bopping him on the nose with her pointer finger.

Barry smiled. 'Mine' had suddenly become his favorite word.

"You get your shower and I'll grab a shirt and finish up in here," he told her. "Unless," he paused, a laughing suspicion presenting itself. "You just want to approve the choice, don't you?" he asked. "If that's it, feel free. Just please don't burn the things you don't approve of, okay?"

"Fiiiiiiiiiiine, no burning, but only because you'd make anything look cute."

He nipped at her neck before she could retreat, adding a whisper of "Mine."

Lup moaned softly and leaned in to his teeth. "All yours, babe."

Lup sauntered over to the laboratory door and called, "If you hear screaming, it means I ran into Taako. BRB!"

The last part of her to leave was the tip of her tail.


End file.
